The Blue Marlin

Madison is on an isthmus. We're surrounded by lakes, we've got them coming out of our ears. I've seen lots of fish that we're medically discouraged from eating. One time, I saw a turtle from a bridge in the park near our house.

My point is simply that it's not weird to have a sea food restaurant in the heart of the midwest... where there's no sea. The lack of any sizable body of water does not deter the intrepid Blue Marlin. Like the great fish itself, it stands majestic, alone (with Ocean Grill) at the top of the high-end seafood scene in Madison.

The restaurant itself is much smaller than I thought it would be. Perhaps we should call it The blue shrimp? Blue Sardine? Anyway, it was very quiet and cozy and a nice place for a date.

As far as the food goes, thankfully, absolutely nothing was local. It was genuine seafood that you have to work pretty hard to find around here. I started with the mussels and my wife got oysters, both good if not great. For our main courses we had shrimp, which my wife liked, and I had salt encrusted baked salmon. Again, it was nice to have some fish, a good change of pace, and yet, I felt like it didn't exactly push the fish envelope. Perhaps my expectations were a little too high going in, but I can't help thinking that Blue Marlin rests easy knowing if it does seafood pretty well, it'll be the best seafood restaurant in Madison.

I don't mean to say it was bad. It wasn't, and I enjoyed my dinner. But next time we go for a dinner date, we'll try the local food. Okay, maybe more like this local food.

43 North

Apparently, Cafe Continental is no longer at 108 King Street. We discovered that last night when we went to 43 North for dinner. Turns out, I am not at all disappointed- Restaurant Week ended with a bang! 43 North was delicious and perfectly satisfied our inner foodie. It is pretty upscale- how I describe anyplace with an amuse bouche. Especially a duck confit amuse bouche.

The menu was creative and unusual...and amazing. We started with a "butter service." Meaning fresh, warm rolls and three butter options- all Wisconsin made, all perfect. Our waiter loved to tell us all about the food, where it came from, how it was prepared, etc. Food is really the perfect conversation piece.

I ordered a baby greens salad with horseradish vinaigrette to start and I literally wiped the plate clean. Bob had some chicken thigh-lentil-rutabega puree thing. He claims it was tasty and I am inclined to believe him. The main course was even better- hazelnut cannelloni stuffed with spinach. YUM. I was so engrossed I wasn't sure what Bob ordered- some kind of fish.

However, the main event was really the dessert. Chocolate fondant with candied apricots and vanilla and paprika seasonings. Seriously, I can't make this stuff up. It was the highlight of the evening. Bob's aged cheddar with apple relish and toasted walnuts wasn't too shabby either. Of course, the real highlight may have been the purple silk booths we were sitting in.

Anyway, we may not be able to afford this place without Restaurant Week, but we'd definitely go back. Like maybe right now.

Cabana Room

Ok, I admit it. I've never actually sat down and eaten food in the Cabana Room. As the name implies, the theme of the food is South American. In fact, it's the cheaper, less expensive little sibling to Samba, and that alone is enough to ensure I tried it's food.

So with that disclosure, I can honestly say that the carry-out I've got has been quite good. I've stuck to one of their "Cubano" sandwiches, which are press-grilled and generally large meaty things with plenty on top. I also periodically toy with getting a salad or soup as a side and I always regret it when my wife gets the fries, which are exceptional.

Short post for this one. I might put more up if I ever go inside.

L'Etoile

We had been to L'Etoile as a celebration dinner for our anniversary, and we had only lived in Madison for a couple months. It was then in a different location, above another restaurant, in a dark little space. We were the only ones in the restaurant who weren't wearing suits, and it felt pretentious. I don't remember what I got, but I remember thinking it wasn't worth the considerable price.

Then we went again recently, for my birthday. The restaurant had just moved to its new location, a much more modern space with bank-height ceilings, and a spectacular nighttime view of the lit capitol. When we arrived, they presented us with personalized menus for my birthday. Though things still felt expensive and stuffy, they at least felt "modern" stuffy rather than "old boys club" stuffy. I count that as a huge improvement.

As for the food, this was one of the best meals I had in Madison. It's even shaken my faith in my belief that Harvest is the greatest restaurant. The dinner worked in an interesting way: four-courses. That's right, four-courses. With an Amuse Bouche to boot. By the way, can you think of a better innovation than the Amuse Bouche?

The menu was a nice combination of fresh produce and local meats and cheeses. I had a cantaloupe carpaccio with crispy pork belly as the first course, and it was sweet and salty and crunchy and soft. Beautiful. Then came grilled octopus, in a chili-lime vinaigrette, and finally a dry-aged ribeye. That ribeye was fantastic and as tender as you could hope for.

The whole four course business was $65, which was expensive, but not beyond expectations and certainly a great deal considering what four individually ordered courses would cost. I don't know what changed between our first trip years ago and our latest, but it's worked out for the best.

Nostrano

I'd never heard of this place, but Betsy suggested we eat here. Apparently, Nostrano is a newer establishement, which might explain my ignorance. There are alternate explanations for my ignorance, of course, but there's no need to explore those now.

Nostrano was a fantastic place to spend NYE. It's a tight cozy restaraunt, with dark lighting and a wet frost thick on the large windows, which opened onto the capitol square. The tables are well separated and the entire atmosphere is conducive to quiet romance.

They were experimenting with new menus that night, which means our meals might not have been representative. At any restaurant, I like to try and find something unique. Often, this criterion alone is enough that Betsy can figure out what I'll be getting, because one thing clearly stands out above the others. Yet at Nostrano, there were so many choices that qualified for me that it was hard to choose. I had to pass up the Bison Tartare appetizer to try the sunchoke soup with smoked salmon and caviar. My entree was chicken, which is an accomplishment in itself, because I never order chicken. But it was a crispy delicious concoction prepared with a fennel puree and pickled(!) apples. There's a nice little touch like that for each dish on the menu.

The last thing I want to talk about is the pear risotto. In addition to the pear flavors, it contained pheasant meat, and I'd be lying if I said this wasn't by far the best risotto I'd ever had. If I could make it myself, I'd probably never bother going out again. It's probably for the best that I'll have to go out to get it. Suffice it to say, if you go to the restaurant and don't get the risotto, in spite of all the other interesting sounding appetizers, you've done yourself a horrible disservice.

The portion sizes and prices seemed about right for an upscale restaurant on capitol square, and the beer list (we wisconsinites drink beer for NYE) was small but at least local. The service was leisurely, but just right for an evening whose main event was the dinner. Bottom line: Nice, romantic place for those interested in trying something new.